Luther hasn't developed much since last season. As a rookie, he started off the year on fire from long range then he cooled off drastically and was almost worthless late in the year. Hopefully that will not happen again. He still doesn't have any game within the arc. He finishes OK on the break but isn't good at leading it. He still seems fearless when the game is on the line. His defense hasn't improved that much, IMO, and he remains a liability. Conclusion: Luther belongs in the rotation IF he continues drilling 3 pointers. Otherwise, he doesn't do us any good. If something came along later to help us, I would trade him while his value seems high. I don't know if he has much career upside. He hasn't flashed any brilliance that makes me say "Wow, just think what he could develop into". At least until the Rockets develop some sort of chemistry on offense that works under pressure, Luther's spot shooting is very valuable.
he's definetly clutch and I'd like him to see him develop into a sam cassell like clutch player. his distribution of the ball is aite, and will get better as he handles the ball more, but it won't happen this year since rafer/tmac are handling it most of the time. but id have to agree with the board that his D is suffering a little. maybe its just a fluke, but i think he'll pick it all up halfway-end of the season by the playoffs when his shooting game AND shut down D will come in handy.
24th Pick - Luther Head 40th Pick - Monta Ellis That's at least one I could ask for. Overall I'm happy with Luther. I wish he would show more of his athleticism and play a little more freely at times when Yao and/or Tracy aren't in the game, but his most important purpose on this team is to hit 3's and he's doing that extremely well this season. That said, I still wouldn't hesitate to throw him into a trade for the right player(s).
i agree but i think the problem with Luther was that not only did the "rookie wall" hit him but he also was thrown into a starter-type role due to our injuries. I think that played a huge part on him breaking down physically in the end and not being able to hit his 3s. I think with the minutes he's getting right now (about 22 versus 28 last year), he should be able to be just as efficient as he was beginning of last year....for all of our sakes.
Luther is doing fine. Comparing him to a fluke lucky pick like Ellis is unfair. You always have your Michael Redds and Gilbert Arenas type guys out there, but that doesn't mean everyone in front of him is a bad pick unless they are superstars. Luther is a rotation player, and that's more than you can say about many others drafted around the 24th pick.
I was at the Wizards game yesterday, and I paid special attention to Luther Head's play the entire night. I agree with the defense thing. I watched him a bit in college and opposing guards simply could not just blow by him. Now it seems like he is almost trying too hard on defense, and it's not working. He has some intangibles with his quick hands, but something about his footwork on defense just isn't quite right. On offense, in the first 40 minutes of the game, he was much too indecisive. He would get an open look for a 3, hesitate, thereby closing the short window of opportunity to shoot. Then he would try to drive to the basket with very little time left on the shot clock, and we wouldn't get a good shot off in that possession. However, if there's one person I trust in the 4th quarter other than Tmac, it's Luther Head. That guy is cold-blooded when we really need someone to step up. He saved the game yesterday. Oh and also, I saw him do a couple of windmill dunks during shootaround at halftime, so I know the athleticism is still there. He really should dunk when he gets the chance. I notice that, even when he is all alone on a breakaway, he'll simply lay it up. But I mean, especially during home games, a nice dunk would really get the crowd riled up. C'mon Luther!
last year, I was a big Luther-hater and I wanted to get rid of him.. I just felt that this one lucky shot against the warriors last year made everybody think that he's Jordan or something (hyperbole)... I was especially mad in the 2nd half of last season, where his shooting percentage went way down and it seemed like he had a 0-6 game every once in a while.. this year, I really think he has improved a lot.. I like the fact that he is shooting the ball with confidence and that he is hitting the big shot... I am really happy with his smart cuts and his improved ability to finish under the basket ... I just dont think PG is the right spot for him... I like to see him play the 2.. when he plays the 1, it takes a lot from his abilities and it seems to wear him down a lot... plus I really dont like his turnovers (even though I know that he can work on that, he just needs some more experience).. another thing that got my attention in the last game is the fact that he is trying to do so much on offense... he started taking some bad shots; he took a couple of threes when the defender was right on him.. he shot an air ball, he started doing some fadeaways from midrange and I really dont think that's one of his strengths... he was off to a terrible start against Washington but he came back in the end of the game and hit a couple of clutch threes AND the huge freethrows... so I just hope that he keeps doing what he does best and not try to do more than he can..
Luther 3pt % is the only reason he is on the court and it is also the only reason Novak is not on the court
How was Luther even on their radar without his 3pt shooting? 6'3'' 2 gaurd who can't shoot, play the point and is at best a mediocore defender isn't something you jump at.
Assuming you've been watching Illinois basketball, I'm surprised that you're surprised that Head isn't displaying his athleticism. It's not that suddenly Head isn't an athlete anymore. It's that he thrived under Bruce Webber's motion offense. JVG's offense involves anything but motion, and that's why our offense can get so stagnant at times and lead to 4th quarter collapses. As for you being disappointed at Head's D, give me a break. You see Head playing good D against scrubs in the Big 10 that aren't good enough to make the NBA, and you think that translates into him being a good NBA defender? This just in: NBA >>> NCCAB. NBA guards are stronger, more athletic, taller, and just plain better. Head is an undersized SG. It's sad that you would expect him to guard the elite SG's well. Head is not a PG. Unfortunately, not everyone can be like T-Mac and become a PG whenever they feel like it. Head is strictly a finisher, not a playmaker. And that's why Head should never be on the floor when T-Mac and Yao aren't. That's also why I don't have a problem with Head starting over Alston. But back to Bruce Webber's motion offense. I'd like to see JVG use a motion offense when Yao and T-Mac are on the floor. Don't change anything with the 2 stars. Let them do what they do. But I hate it when the other players are just standing there on the perimeter waiting to get the ball once T-Mac or Yao gets doubled. They have to keep moving! Why? Because movement creates chaos for the defense. Say you're the PF playing against the Rockets, and you're assigned to guard Battier. You're like LMAO, Shane isn't an offensive force at all. I could just play help defense on Yao and T-Mac all day! But if Shane is cutting to the basket or getting open for a three... or setting screens so that another role player can cut to the basket or get open for a three, suddenly you can't just hound the 2 stars as much as you'd like. You actually have to keep your eye on your man. This movement is single-handedly keeping the defense honest. Meanwhile, since the movement is spreading out the defense and preventing double-teams, T-Mac and Yao have their man one-on-one... I think we all know how that would turn out. In previous years, we did not have the personnel to run a motion offense. But now when we're healthy, we have athletes, guys with speed, and shooters like Bonzi, Battier, Alston, Snyder, Hayes, Head, Spanoulis, Novak, and Lucas III. So in short, let Yao and T-Mac do what they do, and let the three other players run around like little children, setting screens for each other, getting open, and cutting to the basket and such. But of course, all the running will ware down the players, so that's why it's critical that JVG uses his entire bench (even JL III). Alston should not be playing more than 30 minutes a game. Oh, and Luther Head has big... courage. Yes, big courage.
You, sir, are one smart cookie. I have been saying this for past couple of years. Employ motion offense and you keep the defense honest against Yao and Tmac. Unfortunately JVG just isnt smart enough and does not know how to come up with motion offense.
Make a thread about it Zboy! See, I'm a poor little rookie who can't do anything but make posts in existing threads.
